Some distant day, anthropologists will consider as a landmark in humankind's evolution - comparable to the capacity for destroying ourselves by nuclear obliteration - the adolescent gene's newly emergent power to dictate nightly TV viewing. Steve Erickson adolescentanthropologistcapacity share on social
Escapism always has its place, but when movies connect to other things around us and suggest implications that haven't been considered before, that's a dividend, too, even when our love of movies becomes complicated as a result. Steve Erickson complicateconnectconsider share on social
In 1957's 'There's No You,' Sinatra is suspended at the intersection of a loss he can't face and a memory he can't relinquish. Steve Erickson faceintersectionloss Change image and share on social
I'm not sure there's a difference between books that affected the way I see the world and books that influenced me as a writer. Steve Erickson affectbookdifference Change image and share on social
The witch-hunting McCarthy era found Hollywood's view of the press growing bleaker along with the decade's view of everything else. Steve Erickson bleakdecadeera Change image and share on social
White Americans believe we've made more progress since the end of slavery in 1865 than do black Americans for whom '12 Years a Slave' documents a collective memory, passed down in the genes and by the lore of generations. Steve Erickson americanblackcollective share on social
The Doors formed on the beaches of Los Angeles, in what you might imagine is the tradition of local rock bands since the Beach Boys. Steve Erickson angelesbandbeach Change image and share on social
Part of the process of reading is constantly hitting the pause button, and now and then the rewind button, to ponder a word that's been chosen by the author as exquisitely as the filmmaker chooses an image or a sound editor chooses a sonic clue - the tolling of a bell in the distance to evoke memory, for instance. Steve Erickson authorbellbutton share on social
Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies and directed by Sundance nominee James Ponsoldt, 'The End of the Tour' is a terrific film, among the year's best with its two-man tarantella of wall-to-wall talk - and I watched it through my fingers as though it were Mad Max. Steve Erickson directdonaldend share on social
'The Company You Keep' is about outgrowing not just the delusions that accompany youth but the harsh certainties driving our lives and then trapping them before the years outpace the velocity of our dreams. Steve Erickson accompanycertaintycompany share on social